So now you want me to pay attention, too? 
This is getting expensive......
Joe,
You said it, not me. 
A single channel TIU would really be great for doing battery powered conversions!
Chuck,
A single channel TIU would really be great for doing battery powered conversions!
I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Could you please elaborate?
I believe he's describing a single channeled TIU.
It was promised before. There's no need for four channels when the TIU is installed right in a trailing car.
Trivial but would be nice to set the clickety-clack feature at a lower speed than 30 smph.
Joe, how does one install a TIU in a "training car", or for that matter in a leading car?
Scotty,
OK, got it.
Thanks!
Barry,
Maybe there's already an answer for this but here goes:
Whenever I experience a shutdown caused by a derailment, such as not having all the truck wheels on the track, the system shuts down promptly. Whatever speed the train was going (say 15mph) stays on/in the handheld and cannot usually be changed (I have managed to decrease it a couple of mph if I scroll the thumbwheel in time). Upon turning the power back on, the engine starts to move at whatever the mph was on/in the handheld.
I received a Weaver N&W 5-car passenger car set yesterday and hooked it up to my Williams brass "J" this morning. It didn't get far before I started getting shorts that shutdown the system, I think I had the train going at 7 mph when it happened.
As it turned out one of the wheels on the observation car wasn't in the truck on one side, making the car sit lower and shorting out. Easily fixed but the light show and the 7 mph reading on the handheld after shutdown/restart got me thinking.
Is there a software fix that would automatically lower the mph to "0" whenever power is cut? Can it be done so the mph reading is reset back to "0" also?
Originally Posted by RJR:
Joe, how does one install a TIU in a "training car", or for that matter in a leading car?
Bob,
Whatever speed the train was going (say 15mph) stays on/in the handheld and cannot usually be changed (I have managed to decrease it a couple of mph if I scroll the thumbwheel in time). Upon turning the power back on, the engine starts to move at whatever the mph was on/in the handheld.
That's normal behavior.
To have it be at zero before going forward, just press DIR twice after pressing STARTUP.
Joe: Wouldn't you agree that a TIU is kind of large to fit into a car?
Barry: I differ on Bob's situation. My experience is that the loco doesn't restart at that speed when power is restored, or when startup is pressed, but only when moves the thumbwheel and the DCS sends a speed setting command.
Originally Posted by RJR:
Joe: Wouldn't you agree that a TIU is kind of large to fit into a car?
that's why a single channeled TIU is needed for these guys!
Robert,
That's correct. Of course he must move the thumbwheel to issue the move command.
that's why a single channeled TIU is needed for these guys!
That's been asked and answered several time sin the past. It's way down on a list of priorities.
Joe: CRH never has responded, so we don't know what he had in mind. If someone wants direct hand-to-loco comms, the solution is to work with someone like Futaba, who makes RC controls for model planes & boats. Lionel had a radio-controlled system about 60 years ago, but it didn't sell well.
It would be interesting to know what your linkee is doing.
Barry: But Bob had said loco moves when power is applied. Only way this could happen is if power were reapplied within 10 seconds, and he's good if he underails in that time.
Originally Posted by RJR:
Joe: CRH never has responded, so we don't know what he had in mind. If someone wants direct hand-to-loco comms, the solution is to work with someone like Futaba, who makes RC controls for model planes & boats. Lionel had a radio-controlled system about 60 years ago, but it didn't sell well.
It would be interesting to know what your linkee is doing.
Barry: But Bob had said loco moves when power is applied. Only way this could happen is if power were reapplied within 10 seconds, and he's good if he underails in that time.
How would you go about installing a Futaba RC system into a PS2 equipped loco and run it on batteries and still have all the features of the PS2 system? If you can get a Futaba ESC to speak DCS then my hat off to you!
Barry, the "Press DIR twice" sounds like an easy way, thanks! My only concern was the engine moving on its own.
CRH, where did I ever say to install existing RC equipment in a train? I said "work with."
If there's enough of a market, an RC mfr might be interested in entering the market, using RF to distribute signals directly to receivers, which could be produced at a rather cheap per unit cost.
Originally Posted by RJR:
CRH, where did I ever say to install existing RC equipment in a train? I said "work with."
If there's enough of a market, an RC mfr might be interested in entering the market, using RF to distribute signals directly to receivers, which could be produced at a rather cheap per unit cost.
There is plenty of train rc systems on the market. What we would like to see is a way to have PS2 equipped engines that are able to operate via batteries. The only way NOW to do it is strip & stuff a TIU into a boxcar which you ain't gonna do in o gauge hence the market for a small single channeled TIU. There has been many numerous threads started over the years on this website about a real interest in having battery powered PS2 engines in o gauge.
Now when the PS3 upgrade kits are available there may be a way to accomplish this via using a small DCC command station board that can be grafted onto the PS3 board then the boards powered via batteries and controlled via DCC rc throttle. Be a lot easier if MTH would make a small one channeled TIU that could fit into a loco or trailing car...heck you could even use it to say speak to a PS2 caboose that has a smoke unit..& sounds if you so desire. Hmm..how about a DCS accessory board to power a caboose's lights & smoke...or a dining car smoke unit & sounds?
Robert,
But Bob had said loco moves when power is applied. Only way this could happen is if power were reapplied within 10 seconds, and he's good if he underails in that time.
I see this as a normal STARTUP after correcting a derailment, not a runaway engine.
But Bob had said loco moves when power is applied. Only way this could happen is if power were reapplied within 10 seconds, and he's good if he underails in that time.
I see this as a normal STARTUP after correcting a derailment, not a runaway engine.
CRH: Now I see your goal. At the risk of highjacking the thread, I would ask why can't PS2 board be powered by motor battery and dcs signal sent through the rails?
Originally Posted by RJR:
CRH: Now I see your goal. At the risk of highjacking the thread, I would ask why can't PS2 board be powered by motor battery and dcs signal sent through the rails?
You could but if operating outdoors on say non-powered aluminum track (cornfield meet) layout then kinda out of luck 
But I guess asking about MTH making a single channeled is out of the question as it's been asked in the past...then again MTH announced years ago that a PS2 retrofit kit would be astronomically high priced and physically impossible to install into a QSI loco...well we all see what that lead to..PS2 Upgrade Kits.
I guess Barry only wants questions that make him look good
looking for an answer from barry,my first layout.with dcs should i use tinned copper wire or bare copper wire. thanks tom.
Today is the cutoff for questions.
thanks .
Barry,
A question for MTH:
Can MTH incorporate a 100 speed step option for controlling TMCC engines in a future DCS upgrade?
Recent engines from Weaver and Third Rail use the Electric Rail Road Co. Cruise Commander which defaults to a 100 step mode. A 100 step mode would assure DCS's capability to control all TMCC engines.
Jaytrak
Originally Posted by Jaytrak:
Barry,
A question for MTH:
Can MTH incorporate a 100 speed step option for controlling TMCC engines in a future DCS upgrade?
Recent engines from Weaver and Third Rail use the Electric Rail Road Co. Cruise Commander which defaults to a 100 step mode. A 100 step mode would assure DCS's capability to control all TMCC engines.
Jaytrak
Here's a short clip from Barry's book, that's already possible.
Pressing the SPD soft key allows selection of 128 or 32 speed steps for the active TMCC engine. Only TMCC engines equipped with K-Line's speed control or TAS EOB should be used with 128 speed steps.
Jaytrak,
Can MTH incorporate a 100 speed step option for controlling TMCC engines in a future DCS upgrade?
That's been in DCS since DCS 4.0.
From page 125 of The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition:
Pressing the SPD soft key allows selection of 128 or 32 speed steps for the active TMCC engine. Only TMCC engines equipped with K-Line's speed control or TAS EOB should be used with 128 speed steps. All other TMCC engines, and Legacy engines operating in TMCC mode, should use 32 speed steps
This and a whole lot more is all in MTH’s “The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition", available for purchase as an eBook or a printed book at MTH's web store!
